Cat Got Your Tongue?
by I Engish Good
Summary: What happens when Inuyasha goes too far? When Kagome dies? When Kagome is revived by our favorite Egyptian goddess, she embarks on a thrilling adventure of revenge and romance, all while striving to kill Naraku once and for all. Will she succeed? Contains brief main character death and eventual nudity/naughtiness. Also, Kagome is a BAMF. You've been warned.
1. The meeting

**_My last memory is of excruciating pain. I remember staring at the brown ceiling of the well until it faded into a sea of nothingness. I remember my last hazy thoughts. _Breathe in, slow. Three broken ribs, at least on cracked. Breathe out, sharp. Pierced lung. Breathe in, fast. Broken femur, shattered knee. Breathe out, slow. Haha, my weenis is broken too. Breathe in, fast. Probable - most likely, really - fatal concussion. Breathe out, slow. Blood everywhere. Internal bleeding undeniable. Breathe in... Breathe in...? Ah._ Then the panic set in. As I asphixiated on my own blood, I tried desperately to call up my powers. No dice. My very last though before oblivion? _I really fucking hope Sota isn't the one that has to find me.**

Kagome woke with a stuttering gasp, feeling the faded echo of a pierced lung. Then she opened her eyes. _What the actual fuck...?_ Everything was in deep focus, sharp in the middle but faded on the edges. Every grain of the wood surrounding her could be seen, even the small scuffs from her school shoes made by climbing up the well. She blinked twice and tried to recall how she ended up at the bottom of the well. Looking up, she noticed she was on her side, too. It wasn't until she smelled a sickly coppery scent that Kagome remembered her recent death.

_When I find that no good, bastard hanyou and his zombie whore, I'm gonna lose my fucking mind!_

_ **OOOOOOOOO. No wonder Midnight wasn't brought in. Somebody's already got a temper, huh Missy?**_

** **Kagome looked around swiftly, wondering if she had finally lost her mind, only to come nose to snout with _a friggen PANTHER?! WHAT?!_ Taking a deep breath, Kagome did what she's always done in (_COMPLETELY UNBELIEVABLE) _situations like this; she began to talk to herself:

"Okay, Kagome. Let's go through this slowly. Maybe then, all this will start to make some kinda sense, right? Okay." Here, she took a deep, cleansing breath in hopes of a modicum of relaxation. "One: I definitely died today. Wait, today? Was it today? Cuz a lot of time coulda passed and I'd have no idea... Well, it was the middle of the night then... But I can't tell what time it is now and even if I could, who's to say a couple days haven't passed? But grandpa would've checked if- ANYWAY! I DIED! Okay, so two: I'm somehow magically breathing right now, so... Not death is pretty okay... Um... Three: there's a weird, green-eyed panther crammed in this tiny-ass well with me and it hasn't eaten me yet. Four: it may be able to talk, but it's also equally probably - or more probable, even - that I have lost my mother-loving mind. Is that all? Well, there's also the super-sight and stuff but I think I'll come back to that later and-"

**Are you quite done yet?**

** **"Yep, that panther just talked to me," Kagome muttered. Then, louder, she addressed it, "Uh, hello random jungle creature. My name's Kagome and I have no idea what's going on right now. Pleased to meet you. Also, could you explain why the hell you're here and why I haven't been eaten yet? That'd be great, thanks."

** OOOOOO. You're a smart-ass too. Fun.**

"Actually, sarcasm is a coping mechanism. I just died and woke up in a glorified ditch two feet away from a carnivorous predator that talks. You'll understand my trepidation."

** Well, at least you're intelligent. Or, at least, you own a thesaurus.**

"Yeah, uh, can we get to the explaining part? Cuz I'm about thirty seconds away form losing my shit."

** Oh, yes, of course. My name is Li. I am here as a special representative of Bastet and your Kami. It is nice to meet you, Higurashi Kagome, and I hope to build a beautiful relationship with you over the next few months.**

Kagome flinched and opened her mouth to voice an objection.

** If you'll be so kind as to allow me to explain first and ask questions later, I'd be much obliged, thank you.**

Kagome shut her mouth.

** Good. Now, as I said, I am a representative of the gods and also your guardian for the foreseeable future. As you said before, you died yesterday. Bastet sent me to revive you as one of her warriors before your soul was taken. You are familiar with comic books, yes?**

Kagome nodded.

** The character, Catwoman. Think of yourself as a true version of this character. Except you will not become a criminal. My mistress saw great promise in your soul and she sent me to cultivate that promise into tangible magnificence. Therefore, I shall train you for the next few months, until you are ready to face your destiny. Any questions?**

Kagome thought for awhile. "Well, I'm gonna assume I've not just lost my mind and all that is true, okay? Just makes my life easier. I just don't understand one thing. What do the kami have to do with all of this?"

** Oh, yes, excellent question. Well when Bastet noticed you, she went to your Kami with an appeal to save your soul. You see, she could have just brought you back herself, but since you are a Shinto priestess, a great portion of your soul belongs only to the Kami. They blessed you with the power, so she could not preserve without their blessing, you see? But instead of just giving my mistress the blessing, they got involved also.**

Kagome raised a brow, intrigued.

** Now, usually, when Bastet chooses her warriors, she sends a small cat, unnoticeable and unobtrusive, or just recruits any cat in the immediate vicinity like your cat, Buyo. But the Kami didn't want that. They said you needed training, as a warrior and as a priestess, so they asked my mistress to find a strong soul to send in a host of their making. I was a legendary warrior in my first and fifth life and a healer in all, so I was chosen while the Kami crafted this body of a demon panther.**

It wasn't until then that Kagome's sensitive eyes noticed the deep purple markings on the panther's rich black fur that told of it's demon heritage. "Huh. That's pretty awesome. So, in this new life, I get to keep my reiki, yes?"

** Yes. With some added boosts, but we'll talk about those later. You will also notice some distinctly feline capabilities like your eyesight and balance.**

"So I won't be a klutz anymore?"

** No, you will not.**

"Okay, so when does this 'training' begin?"

** After you bathe, rest, and explain the situation to your family.**

Kagome cheered at the bathing part, then sobered quickly when Li brought up her family. "I have to tell my family I died?"

**Yes. Your honesty is a rare virtue and your family is a major support pillar in your upbringing. I am told that lying to them would be detrimental to our progress and your recovery.**

"Recovery? I'm fine. All my wounds are gone..."

**Emotionally, child. While you may not have loved the fool any longer, you still trusted him. Do not attempt to lie to me.**

"Wow," Kagome said, scuffing her feet in the dirt. "You really did your homework."

** Yes, I did. Now get to climbing. No more procrastination. You must explain what happened to your family first before rest.**

"Okay." So, Kagome, climbed up the well and walked slowly up the steps to her home, Li trotting behind her all the way. Before opening the door, she took a deep breath. "I'm home!"

"Kagome!"

_**Author's note: I own absolutely nothing but the (weird) plot and the occasional OC! And if I was making money off this, I wouldn't eat so much instant ramen, no matter what Naruto says. Reviews feed my rapidly dying soul, so I'd appreciate them!**_

**_Also, I know I need to finish Fun in the Sun, but I just couldn't help myself. Don't hate me!_**  



	2. Chapter 2: Family Reunion

**Hey guys! Sorry this took so long. I've had a few issues lately. Anyway, before the story starts, I wanna thank all my loyal reviewers and favoriters. All your comments have been taken into account. Special thanks to raven, who actually had a lot of good points in her/his review! I appreciate that someone could anticipate all the eventual plot-holes so now I can revise my original plan. Constructive criticism is welcome here guys. To everyone else, thank you for the support and I apologize for the wait.**

**Also, I own almost nothing. Seriously, I'm just borrowing character names so I can live my own fantasies out vicariously through fictional peoples. I would be a lot richer if I were that original.**

**So without further ado, here's the chapter:**

Kagome stood frozen, hand still attached to the doorknob, as she looked up into the eyes of her now-fifteen-year-old brother. Her first thought was: **_When the Hell did he get so tall?_** Then, she burst into tears.

Three hours later, Kagome sat at her kitchen table surrounded by a family she hadn't seen in six months. The only sounds in the room were her mother's sniffles and the _swish-swish-clack_ of Souta's restless pacing. Kagome sat at the head of the table with Li's head in her lap and Buyo perched on her slumped shoulders; she had finally finished her tale and now anxiously awaited her family's response.

Finally, the first to speak was Souta: "If he ever steps foot in this house again, I'll kill him!"

Silence.

Then, the dam broke.

For the rest of the night, the only sounds in the Higurashi household were the anguished wails of a mother too close to losing her child, the righteous wrath of a protective younger brother, and the feverish chanting of a grieving grandfather. Throughout it all, Kagome sat in stoic silence, her white-knuckled grip on Li's black fur the only indication of her anguish.

As the sun rose, so did the Higurashis. Unknowing participants of an inadvertent ritual, all four members of the once-joyful household rose as one and moved out into the yard. As the sun touched tear-stained faces, the trances ended and the family faced the sun as one. They observed as the once-bleak sky became streaked with vivid life and the sun rose from the earth like a warrior, victorious in the face of adversity. For hours, the family stood in the morning sun together, basking in the glow of new life as they prayed.

After that, there were no words. They all split in different directions, each heading to their own rooms to sleep; they slept the whole day away.

The next morning, Asako Higurashi rose before the others. She headed into the kitchen as she always would and prepared breakfast with a stoic, unfeeling face. As she set the dishes on the table, she was joined by the rest of her family: Katsumi Higurashi took his seat at the head of the table, while Kagome settled one seat away from his right and Souta settled directly to his left. After she finished setting the dishes on the table, Asako took the seat directly to Katsumi's right.

The family bowed their heads as one, offering thanks for the meal and, silently, for Kagome's second chance. Only after Katsumi took his first bite did the rest of the family dig in. For the duration of the meal, the Higurashis remained silent. Kagome got up to help her mother with the dishes while the men remained seated, stoically silent in the face of overwhelming circumstance. The family had grieved, briefly, and now it was time to confront the facts.

When the women returned, they again took their seats. Then a sleek black panther strode carefully into the room. Midstride, the panther began to transform into the form of a beautiful Asian woman. Strong limbs and paws melted into deceptively-delicate arms and dainty fingers. A compact torso lengthened and softened into breasts and subtle curves overlain by muscle. Legs elongated as the spine straightened. A black snout melted into a small button nose and rose-petal soft lips. Black fur shrunk and migrated, then lengthened into long, luscious shadowy locks. The only thing about this woman similar to the panther of before were the eyes; slightly tilted almond shaped eyes remained the color of jade.

Dressed in black silk Qipao dress and slippers, Li took a seat at the table opposite Grandpa.

"Hello Higurashis. My name is Li and I will be Kagome's new trainer."


	3. Chapter 3: The Training Begins

**A/N: 2295 words y'all! Whoo! I'm moving on up in this world, I tell ya. Anyway, sorry for the wait again. No excuses but many thanks to my awesome reviewers, followers, and subscribers. You guys are the real MVPs. Enjoy, guys!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own shit, I promise. If I were that original, I'd be richer. Just saying. Don't sue me. Seriously, you will gain absolutely nothing. Cuz I own nothing.**

This is my page-break. Ain't it pretty?

Seven days after her death, Kagome Higurashi woke with a start. Slightly panicked, she swung her head wildly side to side as she tried to locate the source of her abrupt awakening. Finally, she spotted Li sitting at the foot of her bed in her panther form, tail still poised as if to slap her again. Kagome sighed in relief, then as she glanced at the clock, huffed in frustration.

"Li," Kagome spoke shortly. "It is five o'clock in the morning. Why in the name of all that is holy did you deign to wake me up now?"

Still in panther form, Li snorted and flicked her head toward the door. _It's time to start your training. You're wasting time. Let's go._ Li spoke in short, clipped sentences in Kagome's mind, showing her lack of sympathy and patience.

Kagome wondered at her tone before she got up with another put-upon sigh. As she got dressed in a pair of cloth shorts and a t-shirt, she mumbled to herself, "Yeah, but did she need to slap me?"

Clearly fed up with Kagome's sluggishness (and maybe a little vindictive because she too was woken by her mistress too early for her liking), Li whipped her tail into the back of Kagome's legs. _Giddy up, girl! I will be waiting for you outside. Eat something light and drink some water before you come out. _Pausing, Li looked Kagome over slowly before sighing softly. She hesitated before slowly adding, _I know you've had a hard time, but it's time to get a move on. My Mistress thinks we are taking too long. I'll give you twenty minutes._ Then she turned and left the room.

Eighteen minutes later, Kagome walked outside to be greeted with the site of Li's human form, dressed in sweat pants and a light tee. Kagome didn't even have time to ponder over the change of clothes before Li spoke. "Alright, so I assume your presence means you're ready…" At Kagome's nod, she continued. "Good. First, do some stretches while I explain your new schedule to you."

At this point, Li paused and stared at Kagome. It wasn't until she raised her eyebrow expectantly that Kagome understood her look. With an embarrassed "Oh!" Kagome began to stretch out, cheeks red and joints stiff. Li watched her for a while before nodding, seemingly satisfied before continuing.

"From now on, you will wake up at five every morning, eat a light breakfast and come out here. Then you will run for forty-five minutes – every morning – and then yoga or tai chi until seven. At seven, you will go back into the house and get ready for school. Since you have so many available opportunities, I will emphasize your education greatly while we remain here. After school, you have thirty minutes to hang out with friends because I want you back here by four. At four, you will do any homework, followed by studying the texts that I will give you. At six, your mother has agreed to cook you a healthy dinner. At seven, you begin weapons training with meditation followed by practical instruction on a multitude of different weapons. At ten, you must take a bath in the cleansing pool I've built next to the God Tree. Then, you go to sleep and start over the next morning. On the weekends, the time block dedicated to school will be broken up between weapon's training and free time."

Throughout all this, Kagome kept an attentive ear as she stretched out every muscle group she could think of. By the end, she felt loose but completely overwhelmed. How the hell was she going to survive this training? Her life was about to become infinitely more complicated. So with a deep bracing breath, Kagome stood and looked Li in the eye. With a deep respectful bow, she said, "May we begin, Sensei?"

Li only took a split second to answer, "We may."

So Kagome started running, only to be corrected almost immediately by Li.

"Kagome! This isn't a forty-five minute sprint! This exercise is meant to build endurance, so I want you to start at a brisk jog. The point of this is to continue moving no matter what, so slow down if you need to, but don't ever stop. Good! Make sure you regulate your breathing…"

And so on until forty-five minutes later, Li called Kagome to a stop and she bent over at the waist, holding her cramping stomach before she collapsed. Li walked slowly over to Kagome's crumbled form before lifting her off the ground and shoving a lukewarm bottle of water into her hand.

"Stand straight up with your hand over your head, Kagome. Good. Now try to match your breathing to mine…" Li paused for a while, taking slow, even breaths to demonstrate. She didn't continue until Kagome was no longer wheezing, but taking regulated breaths in time with her. "Good. Now, when you're ready, take slow even sips of water. I want you to walk a few laps while you do this because abrupt cool down is counterproductive, okay? Walk slowly, but allow time for your heart rate to return to normal." Li watched Kagome follow her instructions slowly. "Good. Now, do you feel better?"

Kagome nodded her head slowly before gasping out a verbal answer. "Yes, sensei. Thank you," she said, bowing lightly.

Li bowed back before continuing. "Good. Today, I'll skip the extensive tai chi I had planned. I can tell you were babied a little too much in the feudal era, so for now I just want you to stretch really good again. Then, go inside and have a heartier breakfast before you get ready for school. I'll see you again at four."

With that, Li turned her back before transforming back into a panther and walking back into the house, probably to take a nap in Kagome's bed. Kagome began to stretch.

This is my page-break. Ain't it pretty?

Kagome got to school earlier than most, which gave her a sufficient amount of time to answer questions about her grandfather's latest invented illness for her, an exceptionally believable case of heart palpitations caused by a relapse in her childhood case of asthma. Eri was the first of her friends to spot her and tackled her with an excitable shriek. It took Ayumi and Yuka's combined efforts (Ayumi's physical while Yuka stood back and scolded Eri by saying "Are you trying to kill her? She already has heart palpitations, you twit!") to get Eri off of Kagome. When they finally succeeded, Eri stood sheepishly in front of Kagome before apologizing.

"It's fine, Eri," Kagome said. "I missed you guys, too."

This started a grueling round of inquisition beginning with Ayumi's "Are you sure you should be at school already?" and ending with Eri and Yuka's "How's it going with Inuyasha/the two-timer?" Kagome tried her best to answer all their questions, reassuring them of her relative health, even citing her new exercise routine as well as some made-up medicinal treatments. But when Inuyasha was brought up, she couldn't contain her flinch. Thankfully, before her friends could begin another round of invasive questions (because they definitely saw Kagome's not-so-subtle flinch), Hojo – who had been dating Eri for months at this point (_Thank God_, Kagome thought) – walked up to join them.

"Hello, ladies," he greeted cordially before he gave Eri an affectionate side-hug. Then he finally saw Kagome squished between the two other girls. "Kagome! How are you? Are you sure you should be at school so soon after experiencing chronic heart palpitations?"

"That's what I said!" exclaimed Ayumi.

Kagome blinked. "Uh, yeah, Hojo. I think I'm okay. It really wasn't that big of a deal. My condition was the end result of my poor health for the past couple of years. As I explained to these three, I've made some healthier changes to my diet and exercise routine. I should be able to complete this year and graduate here before I go oversees to meet my new doctor. I should be leaving right after we graduate in March, though, so I'll have to spend a lot of time with you guys this year. I have no idea how long I'll be gone."

The faces of all Kagome's friends lit up. "Oh my gosh! That's so great!" They exclaimed in unison.

They were interrupted before they could continue talking by the bell. So, they trudged off to class with a promise to hang out with Kagome briefly after school.

This is my page-break. Ain't it pretty?

Kagome trudged exhaustedly up the steps to the shrine at exactly 3:56; her friends were crazy! They hadn't left her alone for five seconds, asking question after question. How they had managed to drag her to three different cafes in under thirty minutes Kagome would never know, but after today she was sure at least Eri and Yuka had some demon blood in them somewhere. Where else would they get all that energy? Kagome exhaled exhaustedly again before a fond smile lit up her face. _Either way, I still love them,_ she thought as she reached the top of the steps.

Once she reached her home she shouted a quick greeting before dumping her bag out onto the dining room table to begin the monotony that is homework. Because she had grown accustomed to teaching herself in the feudal era, Kagome sailed through her homework quickly, so she wasn't surprised when Li set a book before her right as she set her pen down twenty minutes later. The book looked ancient, almost as old as the dusty old scrolls in her grandfather's personal storage.

"Your grandfather gave me explicit access to a rather extensive collection of books on classical methods of training, thinking, and meditation all over the world. This manuscript teaches the basis of meditation and the importance of breathing techniques throughout any training. Read through the first couple of chapters on meditation and think on how you can apply these concepts to your own abysmal form."

Kagome didn't even flinch at the underhanded insult to her meditation; she knew she sucked at it and that meditation was a major part of harnessing spiritual power. So, she picked up the book and resigned herself to the dry reading, only to be pleasantly surprised by the author's expressive language and helpful diagrams.

At six, Kagome's mother had to force the book from Kagome's hand as she set dinner on the table. Kagome looked up to see her family seated around her in their customary seats. Bowing together, they waited for Katsumi to begin the meal before they all dug in quietly. Amidst her family's soft but friendly banter, Kagome contemplated all the new information she learned on meditation, practicing different breathing techniques between bites. Her family didn't seem to mind, even finding ways to still include her in the conversation despite her absentmindedness.

By seven, Kagome was back in her yard, this time dressed in a miko's traditional garb of red and white with her hair tied back in a low bun. Even so, she looked nothing like Kikyou. Li met her next to the shrine with two _bokken_ strapped to her back beside a quiver of arrows and a bow.

"Alright, Kagome," she began. "I want you to begin with an hour of meditation, where I want you to work on all the new things you learned today. Then, we will begin your weapons training by working on your precision with archery. Then I'll teach you the basics of swordsmanship before you go to the cleansing pool. Now, settle down and get to work."

After she finished her speech, Li settled soundlessly across from Kagome on the soft ground outside the shrine. Together, they meditated for an hour, backlit by the vivid colors of the sunset as they bounced of the cool tile of the shrine building. Distantly, they heard the sound of Kagome's mother humming as she went about her chores and Souta's faraway shouts of triumph as he played his videogames.

As Li stated, exactly an hour later they stood as one to face the many targets Li had set up for their training. Strapping the quiver to her back, Kagome took a deep breath as she readied herself for her training.

"Let's begin."

Two hours later, Kagome dragged her protesting body toward the God Tree as Li almost skipped (_the crazy bitch_) after her. Together, they stripped down naked before offering a prayer at the bank of a large pool of water beneath the God Tree. Tipping their heads back as they prayed, both women bathed in the light of the moon. As one they stood, creamy skin exposed to the elements but neither really concerned; they were safe. Under the watchful eyes of the Kami and Bastet, Kagome and Li strode into the cool embrace of the cleansing pool, where the stress on their bodies and souls melted away into the crisp air and midnight black waters around them. They sighed contentedly.

They had been in the cleansing pool for half an hour before Kagome stood with a jaw-cracking yawn. She exited the pool quietly before turning back to face Li and bowing respectfully. "I must retire now, Sensei," she spoke unobtrusively. "Thank you. I shall see you tomorrow."

Li bowed her head lightly in return as a dismissal.

With that, Kagome dipped to pick her night clothes up from the ground. She went around to the other side of the God Tree to change into them. Then, she walked silently past Li and the pool toward her home. Once inside, Kagome went straight up to her room in the now-silent house. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.


End file.
